Blood cancer is such a life-threatening disease that it has taken away the happiness of many families. The treatment is costly, and the patient requires multiple blood transfusions. Humanity is present in this world. Over five thousand people stood in the rain to become stem cell donors for a five-year-old boy. It is a heart-tugging story about Oscar Saxelby-Lee, battling a life-threatening disease.
He was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a rare disease. Unfortunately, it is not only unusual but also extremely dangerous. His parents started the treatment soon after his diagnosis in December. The doctor suggested a stem cell transplant as the only solution to save the boy. The white blood cells are responsible for building immunity in our system.
The immune system gets weak because of the underdeveloped white blood cells released from the bone marrow. The people who were close to Oscar were astounded by this news. All his teachers and friends felt sympathetic towards the boy. They wished to help him. They did not lose hope and actively searched for a donor. The school in Worcester, England, launched a fundraising campaign.
The school administration buckled up to do everything for the boy until they found a donor for Oscar to save his life. A crowdfunding page was started in February and requested people between the ages of 17 and 55 to register as donors. The campaign received an unexpected response and raised more than $11,000. It began with 200 volunteers. More than 1800 people came as donors to register for the first day.
More than 3,000 individuals lined up the following day. The volume of stem cell donor volunteers increased as a result of this. On the first day, there was heavy rain, but people stood calmly in line waiting for their turn. Thousands of people registered online in addition to the offline campaign. A donor person’s HLA profile must match well in over 1700 ways.
Finding a compatible match is extremely difficult as a result of this. Six weeks is required to get a perfect match for the donor. The medical team and Oscar’s parents tried their best to save the boy. The people came forward as a gesture of kindness and fulfilling their responsibility to protect Oscar. We need more such heart-warming people who are emphatic and ready to help each other.